Intermodulation distortion (IMD) can wreak havoc in modern wireless-communication systems. System designers strive to reduce the IMD, for example, through improved linearity of a system. The linearity of the system can govern how much IMD will occur within the system, which in turn can create interference. Through improved linearity of system building blocks, an overall susceptibility of the system to the IMD can be decreased.
IMD can occur as two or more signals pass through a two-port network device with a nonlinear transfer function. An output spectrum for the two-port network device can include original signals and additional spurious signals. The additional spurious signals can create and/or cause an interference within the two-port network device (i.e., original system), or in other systems. When the spurious signals are of sufficient amplitude, the interference that can result can overpower signal of interest, such as loss of transmitted information (e.g., voice, data, or video). The undesirable effects of IMD can be mitigated, by improving the linearity of system components (amplifiers, other semiconductors, and even passive elements) through proper calibration.